Donald's nephew part of Pitt's Blue-Gold Game storylines

Saturday's Blue-Gold Spring Game for Pitt football inches closer every day to the 1:00 p.m. start time at Heinz Field. After 12 practices during spring camp, the Panthers took to drafting their squads after coaches and captains were divided between the blue and gold teams.

Typical rules are that the assistant coaches and seniors are divided amongst the teams before a friendly draft between the two teams of the available players to build out their rosters. The draft was held Wednesday afternoon in the team meeting room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

The initial picks set the rosters for now, but are subject to trades between the teams up until Wednesday evening. Most interestingly is how each position was picked between the teams and the order in which some of the younger players were selected by their peers and coaches. When a player is the first selected of their position group, typically the rest of the players of their position are picked afterwards, giving insight into how players' talents are viewed.

The following players were listed as out for the game due to injury: Tyler Bentley, Taelen Brooks, Owen Drexel, Stephon Hall, Rodney Hammond, Gabe Houy, Jake Kradel, Buddy Mack, Terrance Moore, Marquan Pope, Branson Taylor, Jahvante Royal, and Nate Yarnell.

In listing out the position groups below, the players are listed in order from left to right of when they were selected by their team when a specific position was being picked. Under each group I've included my notes on the groups, which players stand out and the best storylines to watch for Saturday.

Blue Team: Frank Cignetti Jr. heads the blue team's coaching staff along with Randy Bates, David Borbely, Andre Powell, and Archie Collins. Team captain was elected to be SirVocea Dennis, with seniors Kedon Slovis, Blake Zubovic, Habakkuk Baldonado, A.J. Woods and Erick Hallett II alongside him.

The blue team got first pick of the draft on a coin flip, and chose to make Bangally Kamara the top selection. That opened up linebackers as the first group to be selected. He and Solomon DeShields have made major strides in their play during spring practices as emerging starters at linebacker, and were the first two players off the board.

Quarterbacks: Slovis, Eli Kosanovich

Slovis is the biggest deal here, as Cignetti will want to see as much of him as possible in the closest Pitt will get to live action before the season begins. After the draft, Cignetti wouldn't tip his hand as to what he's seen differently from either quarterback, but he did explain what he's looking for Saturday.

"It's very simple," Cignetti said of quarterback expectations. "You look at the quarterback position and you have to complete the football, be an accurate passer, make good decisions, minimize turnovers and extend plays. What we're really looking for is a guy who is capable of running the offense efficiently."

Cignetti said that during camp it's been a 50-50 split between Slovis and Nick Patti as both compete for the starting spot. But expect for Slovis to be given more of a chance to air it out Saturday.

Running backs: Daniel Carter, Angelo Priore

Carter is the fourth running back on the depth chart returning from last season behind Israel Abanikanda, Vincent Davis and Hammond. But if you talk to Pitt's running backs coach Andre Powell, he's made important improvements this camp that could make him more part of the rotation than he was last season.

"Daniel's made huge improvements," Powell said of Carter. "The challenge we put to Daniel was for him to play big because he's a big guy. He had embraced being a finesse guy, so we challenged him to play more big and take on some more roles. He's done a fantastic job. He's probably the smartest guy in the room. He can handle more and it's been pleasing to see."

Priore, the redshirt sophomore from Baldwin, will most likely get a chance to show what he's got whenever Carter's been showcased enough.

Wide receivers: Jaden Bradley, Jaylon Barden, Josh Junko, Addison Copeland, Jordan Addison, Isaiah Stewart

How this position was picked was very interesting, as the captains and coaches making decisions most likely want players who will play more during the spring game, and Addison most likely will sit for the majority of the game. But Bradley and Barden as a young combination for Slovis could make for some exciting matchups as Barden returns from being injured last season and Bradley is looking to show how much he's grown from being a freshman.

Tight ends: Kaymar Mimes, Gavin Bartholomew, Cole Mitchell, Kyi Wright

This position is more about finding who will be the No. 2 tight end behind Bartholomew. The sophomore tight end looked very strong last season and is one of the weapons Cignetti seems most excited about. But I wouldn't be surprised if he's not given as much time either while Pitt tries to find who will be the second and third options for this group.

Offensive tackles: Matt Goncalves, Jason Collier, Trey Anderson

Goncalves being the first tackle off the board despite not being a consistent starter is a sign of just how deep Pitt's roster is right now. He's a versatile player who's moved around the line and got a significant amount of playing time in 2020, but has to work past an offensive line that returned every starter from last year.

Interior offensive line: Blake Zubovic, Matt Attsman, Jake Cortes, Dakota Peters, Terrence Enos

Drexel being out will give Zubovic the chance to show he can be solid backup center, and that might be needed when considering Drexel's history of frequent injuries that included missing two games last year and being in and out of practices during the spring. 

Defensive tackles: Devin Danielson, Calijah Kancey, Sean Fitzsimmons, Will King

Kancey's in a similar position as Addison with the receivers, in that both are already All-American stars for Pitt who don't have much to prove during a spring game. But the search to fill out the rest of the interior defensive line groups is competitive. Danielson is a returning starter, but Fitzsimmons is a true freshman and early enrollee who's made good headway and could push for minutes early in the season.

Defensive ends: Habakkuk Baldonado, Chris Maloney, Dayon Hayes, Nahki Johnson, Sam Williams

Edge defenders was the trickiest position to pick with so many seniors already on both rosters in Baldonado, Maloney, Deslin Alexandre and John Morgan. After them, Hayes was an immediate selection and the first edge off the board. There's been a lot of excitement about the junior out of Westinghouse, and this will be a big chance to show off his improvements to the public before the season starts.

Linebackers: SirVocea Dennis, Bangally Kamara, Brandon George, Nick Lapi, Dylan Bennett

Biggest factor here is that the team's star linebacker and captain chose Kamara first overall to join the team over DeShields and other positions. Seeing how well Kamara moves around at outside linebacker will be a major storyline. Also, if George can show to be a solid backup option at Mike linebacker, it would be a great sign for the Panthers' linebacker depth.

Cornerbacks: A.J. Woods, Rashad Battle, Ryland Gandy, Noah Biglow, Ak'Bar Shabazz

Couple interesting aspects to the cornerback selections in that Battle was the first off the board after seniors Woods and Marquise Williams weren't available, and Ryland Gandy was the third option after Battle and M.J. Devonshire. Battle looks to be Pitt's slot cornerback this season, while Gandy has been the standout early enrollee true freshman who Narduzzi can't help but mention after almost every practice. 

Safeties: Erick Hallett, Brandon Hill, Dante Caputo, Khalil Anderson

Hill and Hallett seem like an unfair safety pair on paper because of them both being the starters, but it's most likely that both will probably sit after a series or two. Expect this to be more about seeing how Caputo and Anderson handle the pressures of the safety position.

Special teams: Sam Scarton, Caleb Junko, Cam Guess, James Fineran

Scarton is the team's returning starting kicker after making 17 of 21 field goals last season for 81 percent. But Powell, who also serves as special teams coach, said both kickers have been making a difference this camp.

"Everything is a competition," Powell said of his kicker situation. "Those guys up until Saturday had made 29 consecutive kicks, which was good to see. And that's with a new holder and a new snapper. But we hit a bump in the road Saturday. Some teams don't have one kicker who's good enough, but we've got two who are good enough."

Gold Team: Headed by Charlie Partridge, the gold team consists of Tim Salem, Tiquan Underwood, Corey Saunders, and Ryan Manalac, with Alexandre as the captain and seniors Patti, Warren, Minor, David Green, John Morgan, Shayne Simon and Williams alongside him.

Quarterbacks: Nick Patti, Joey Yellen, Jake Frantil

Patti and Yellen are the biggest pieces to watch. If Patti can put up a fight, it will prolong the quarterback battle into summer camp. But if he's clearly outshined, there won't be much more of the battle talk for who's starter.

Running backs: Vincent Davis, Israel Abanikanda, Justin Cullins

Abanikanda was the star of last year's spring game, so I doubt he would be a focal point in this year's game as the Panthers look to identify how other players work in the system. Expect Abanikanda to get some touches but not too many.

Wide receivers: Jared Wayne, Konata Mumpfield, Gavin Thompson, Myles Alston, Jake McConnachie, Luke Delgaudio, Peter Vardzet

I don't expect Wayne to play that much, but Mumpfield certainly will as the new transfer receiver star. How he connects with Patti will be a fun thing to watch, and McConnachie's explosiveness is something I've been waiting to see take shape in action and not just during drills. Pitt has plenty of star power at receiver, but anybody pushing for time at the fifth and sixth spots could be part of the crew that develops into those stars in future seasons.

Tight ends: Jake Renda, Trevor Faulkner

Renda and Faulkner are both 6-foot-4 redshirt freshmen fighting to be the team's second tight end behind Bartholomew. Cignetti most likely will be looking to see who the most willing blocker is to determine that spot.

Offensive tackle: Carter Warren, Ryan Baer, George French

Don't expect Warren to play too much past the first couple series as a sixth-year senior. The big story here is that Baer was the second offensive tackle picked in this draft and he's a true freshman. Pitt has a long line of offensive linemen fighting to be starters, but if he can work his way up the depth chart, he could be a starter sooner rather than later.

Interior offensive line: Marcus Minor, Ryan Jacoby, Matt Metrosky

Like tackle, the player to watch in this group isn't the starter in Minor, but the new face in Jacoby. He transferred from Ohio State just before last season and worked his way to getting playing time during the final three games of the season and even became a starter as an extra offensive lineman in the Peach Bowl.

Defensive tackles: David Green, DeAndre Jules, Elliot Donald, Dorien Ford, Emmanuel Belgrave

Jules is a good addition as a depth piece who's made progress over the years. But the pair to watch will be Donald and Ford. Donald, the nephew of Aaron Donald, has been looking very good in camp and even had a one-handed interception return for a touchdown during a live practice. He and Ford are local products who are look to be part of the rotation regularly this season, instead of an afterthought.

Defensive ends: Deslin Alexandre, John Morgan, Bam Brima, Nate Temple, Sam Okunlola

Brima's an interesting pick because he flexes versatility as both a defensive tackle and a  defensive end. He was picked to play on the edge, but expect Partridge to move him all around his group to test how much Pitt can use him in its rotation.

Linebackers: Shayne Simon, Myles Canton, Solomon DeShields, Aydin Henningham, Jackson Henry

Simon being the senior of the group who just arrived from Notre Dame in the Transfer Portal makes this an interesting group to see how well he's adapted to Pitt's defense. But DeShields is the big story, as he's gone from a special teams ace who played both sides of the ball to being one of the more talked about rising players this season.

Cornerbacks: Marquis Williams, M.J. Devonshire, Jehvon Lewis, Tamarion Crumpley

Williams shouldn't play too much as he has three years of experience now, but expect Devonshire to get a strong share of playing time. Lewis and Crumpley haven't been the most talked about corners in camp, and could be tested early and often by Slovis with deep passes Saturday. 

Safeties: P.J. O'Brien, Jason McIntyre, Hudson Primus

O'Brien has been an exciting player to progress during spring camp and been noted by Narduzzi as a physical player who's had to be calmed down during live scrimmages for being too intense. But that's a problem the Pitt coaches like and it made him the first safety chosen in this draft. If he can demonstrate a strong command of calling out switches and communicating, it could cement his place as the top option to replace Hill or Hallett in games.

Special teams: Ben Sauls, Sam Vander Haar, Byron Floyd

Punter Vander Haar is the newest addition to Pitt football replacing fellow Australian Kirk Christodoulou. You'd think that would be a tall task as Christodoulou was a four-year, but Powell seems excited rather than nervous about his new punter.

"He's got good ball skills," Powell said of Vander Haar. "When Kirk (Christodoulou) came here, he didn't have very good ball skills. He thinks he can make any kick and we ask him to do a lot of things. We didn't ask Kirk to do a lot of things. That's no discredit to Kirk, because we just ask them what they think they're confident they can do. This kid can do a lot of things."

Pitt's final spring practice before the Blue-Gold Game is Thursday morning. I'll be in attendance with final looks at how the different position groups are shaping up before the game.